It was that time of year again when Ladon House began making preparations for the Polar Bear Dive fundraiser. Each year the money they raised went to the Bleeding Heart Animal Centre in Camden and Kaden was stopping by to talk with the owner about and to organize a few things. He had told Cressida where he was going and invited her along, only to immediately kick himself for being so insensitive. Cress had just lost her familiar, a dog she had raised from a pup, and here he was suggesting she go look at other dogs.
But Cressida seemed open to the idea and had agreed to go with him, and now, Polar Bear Dive business concluded, Cress and Micah were walking down a row of kennels that housed individual dogs. Some of them were friendly and jumped up at the door, begging to be petted, while others cowered against the furthest corner. It didn't always help that, to the nose of a canine, Kaden smelled like a mixture of man and Kodiak bear.
He crouched down in front of a kennel housing a mutt, some mixture of terrier and Labrador. "She's cute," he smiled, holding his hand close to the chainlink door for the pup to sniff. The dog reached out and sniffed Kaden's fingers, licking his knuckles. Kaden chuckled and the dog wagged her tail in response.